Ep 45 | Setting Business Goals

Leah: Hey there,

Annie: Annie. Hey Leah. How you doing?

Leah: I'm doing good. I'm excited about today's podcast because we are talking about growing your business through business related goals, and I am really passionate about this because it's something I'm not very good at, so I'm passionate about it because I always wanna be better at this. And whenever we do a podcast on stuff, I feel like because we think about it and research it and get all the information together, it like. It makes me think about it and try to do better at it. How about you? Are you, I know you're a goal setter 'cause I've worked with you a lot and I know that you like to have goals and things. Is that something that you feel has really benefited your business?

Annie: Yes and no. So. I've been doing a lot of reading about goals lately. 'cause I happen upon, I mean this is like an old book, but, so I'm late to the game, but, uh, Gretchen Rubin's The Four Tendencies. Yes. And realizing that I am an upholder and I'm like, this really makes things make so much sense, which is if I have a thought that I'm gonna do something or that I could do something, it's, it becomes a goal and it becomes as real to me as if somebody else told me I should do it. Mm. And so sometimes I'm setting goals and I don't mean to set goals, and they become, they take on a life of their own. And I find myself pushing myself and, and being really driven goals that I haven't actually taken a lot of time to investigate whether or not they even should be goals.

Leah: Yeah, and that's a really important part when we're thinking about business goals as entrepreneurs, because they're a little bit different from. Personal goals, but I think they're super important because like you said, if we're clear about them, it can be something that helps move our business forward. But this clarity is really important, especially if you're an upholder. Like to know that this is a goal that I should be working on, and I have found that it kind of helps guide how I. Spend my time, and I think that's something that you're speaking to right now. When you know, even if it's a goal that you're like, I haven't really thought through this, but now I'm pushed to do this. At least you know, you're spending your time on something. You're not kind of spinning your wheels, flipping on and off different pages and wondering what. Should be done next. You know, so and I like upholders are notoriously like amazing, diligent workers, people that can get so much done. And I think I am a questioner. And so that makes a lot of sense. Like I'm more of like, does this really need to be done? And in what way should you do it? And how many hours should it take? And then what page would be the best? And what app would you use to facilitate that? And let me research all these things before I actually engage. The goal itself, but what, are there any other things that come to mind when you're thinking about something like a business related goal? Like why is it important as entrepreneurs to have business related goals?

Annie: You know, I think a, a lot of it has to do with not having those external metrics of success. You know, not having that. I've got my annual review coming up, or somebody's gonna give me a raise. You know, I remember early in my working life getting started in the film industry, which is where I began my working career. I remember thinking, I. I wanna write a movie. I wanna produce a movie. That was my, my goal. And I was like, I wanna produce a movie and if I haven't produced a movie by the time I'm 30, then I'm gonna go to seminary. So that gives you a little chance, little window into where my brain was when I was in my ear in my twenties. I was like, you know, I'm just going to go throw it all away and, and learn about the Bible with, um, what I was thinking. And I did reach my goal. I worked really hard towards that goal 'cause I think I really did not wanna go to seminary. I think I look back, I'm like, I would've been miserable and unhappy there. It's not for me, but I got my first producing credit. I made that movie the year I turned 30, and so then I had to set another goal and I've never been one to set time-based goals like. My five-year plan or my three-year plan, except for when I was like, by the time I'm 30. 'cause I, I was also like, 'cause when you're 30, you're also, that's the same as being a million years old. And you're right. It's all's, it's all downhill. It's all downhill from there. So I don't really, that's, I don't really do things like that anymore, but I think about. Like I like to think about, I like to think big because it's never been about like the money for me, and I think that's true of any entrepreneur because if it was about the money, I would go get a job with a salary where I could have regular raises and make somebody else pay me money. I. It's always been about the challenge and it's always been about, been about trying to make something new that didn't exist before. So having those goals, being able to see that new thing is really what keeps me able to work, able to get up every day.

Leah: And I think it's so true when you say like, we don't have an annual review. We don't have anybody coming behind us and you know, getting us back on gear and shifting us to the new thing. And you think about like big corporations, I. They quote unquote, set goals, you know, because they have like financial markers, they need to meet, you know, sales quotas that have to be made, and they're so defined. But oftentimes I think as entrepreneurs, our mindsets don't typically go there. So we're not thinking, okay, I have this, you know financial quota, you know, sale, uh, financial goal that I have. And I'm gonna need to have this in sales quota and this in expenses to be able to get there because that's not often how our businesses are, are kind of set up and run. And you don't have to be that detailed with it, but it certainly can help provide you structure and guide you to these big. You know, ideas that you have or future, like, I love how you said create something that was not there before and that is, you know, this kind of big umbrella, but how are you gonna get there? What's the path to that end? And that's where setting these goals can really lay down that path so you can make it to that beautiful end goal. You know, I think about business goals as being really related to the running of the business. Not in the day-to-day, but like, how, where do I wanna be and, and what steps does it take to get there? Whereas personal goals oftentimes are a little bit more into your day-to-day. Like, I am going to eat this many, you know, calories a day, or I'm gonna go on a walk this time. But there are some similarities. You know, you might say, I'm going to, you know, make this many referral contacts every week and I'm going to 'cause you wanna build your referral network, so I'm gonna reach out to this many providers in my community this week, or I'm going to, you know, try to have a quota for how many consults I have every week, that kind of thing. How do you view the similarities and differences between business related goals and personal goals that we traditionally might think of?

Annie: I think the examples you gave, I. You really show how you turn a goal into reality, which is in your personal life, you're looking at developing good habits and you're saying, you know, okay, I really want to, I wanna exercise this many days a week, or I want to, you know, I like in keeping with the exercise theme, you might say, my goal is to be able to run a 5K. And so then you work backwards from there and you say, well the, I'm not gonna just wake up one morning and run a 5K, I have to train for it. So what's my plan? How am I gonna do that couch to 5K? I'm gonna do this every single day and work towards that. And so with business goals, you know, sometimes it's tempting to think of a business goal as being like. This almost thing outside your control. Like, so you might say, well I want to, I want to have this many clients next year or next month. And you say, and that's, and you're like, I have no control over whether I'm gonna have that many.

Leah: So it's just like you're just speaking it out into the universe and what happens

Annie:And you're like, well, that, you know, how do I know that I'm, I can even make that come true. But then you have to look at it and say, well, what do I have control over and how can I set myself up to be able to execute these small tasks that are gonna actually reach my big goal? You know, to bring another example from the creative world. I always, in my whole life wanted to write a book. That's always been something I wanted to do, but I always thought of it as, as like, well. Who writes a book, like, how do you even write a book? You have to have the idea, like you have to be amazing to write a book. You have to be, you know, you have to be Stephen King to be able to write a book, right? Like only like the really, like good storytellers write books. And then I read a book called The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, which is about a novelist. I mean, it's beautiful book. And in there this novelist says that his, he wakes up every morning and writes 1000 words. When I read that, I thought. I don't know if I can write a book, but I can write a thousand words every day. And so I sat down, this was the, the year that I was pregnant with my older daughter. I said, I've got 12 weeks, and if I write 1000 words every day for five days, I'm like, such an upholder. Like it's ridiculous. You really are. It's, I'm very on brand for that tendency. At the end of 12 weeks, I will have 60,000 words, and that's a book. And what, it might not be a very good book, but it will be a book. Right. And so I did do that and I did end up with the first draft of a novel, and then I spent some time working on it. And it wasn't, it wasn't a very good novel. It's, which I'm fine with. Like it's, I got, I actually wrote a second one just to make sure that I. This wasn't what I was gonna be focusing on. Right. But, um, I don't know. I also have these images that like, I'm gonna be like 72 and that's when I'm really gonna write my novel and it's gonna be amazing. I can't wait. Yes. So I'm setting that as a goal. I'm gonna be the 72-year-old writing the novel, but

Leah: Well, as an upholder, I can assure you, we'll check back in at 73 and you will have a novel.

Annie: So it's just, you know, like taking something and saying, I can't do anything about the big thing. I can't control whether or not I'm gonna be successful with the goal that I've set, like as this big thing, but I can control my circumstances. I can look at how I can set up my environment to make myself most likely to reach that goal, and that is gonna look different for everybody. You know, my methods are not gonna work for somebody else. So finding what motivates you, what drives you, what inspires you, and. But then being really clear though about what you really want. That if you really want something who caress how big it is. Want it? Yeah, it's okay. Take up space. Have that thing.

Leah: Definitely. I totally agree. And I think you know what you were saying about breaking it down. Is the thing that's the same between business and personal goals and what you really wanna focus on when you, you know, have this big idea, start to piece it out and really get down to the nitty gritty of what. You know, monthly, weekly, daily things can make an impact, move you even if it's a tiny inch closer to your big goal. What are those things and you know, the goal setting principle, the smart goals, I'm sure you've heard of that before. They're specific, measurable, attainable, or realistic And what's the last one I time-based. That's right. So let's break this down and kind of do an example. So say, I am a new lc and I wanna grow my business. And I'm like, Hey, I, I just really wanna get bigger. I want to reach more of my community. So the first thing when we're thinking about this goal setting principles would be specific. So Annie, how would I take this big? Like, oh my gosh, I wanna grow my business and get some kind of specific goal out of that. 'cause that's kind of big umbrella. I wanna have a bigger business.

Annie: Yeah. I mean, yeah, we all do. So a great way to make it specific would be to say, well, let me start and look at my, my life. What do I have going on now? What? What current responsibilities do I have? How much room in my schedule do I have for my private practice? And that could be, you might say, I've got room for, you know. Full-time. I'm doing nothing at all. I wanna, you know, I wanna be that person. I do, I know I want your, I want your outside source of funding, but say you're like, okay, I do have all the time in my schedule. But more likely you're gonna say, all right, I've got, I've got my, say. You've got a hospital job over here and you've got, you know, say you've got, you know, a family member who's unwell and you're spending time taking care of them. So taking a look at, okay, the reality is I have space in my schedule for a maximum of 15 consults in a month. That's the most that I can do and still meet my current obligations. And you might say, but oh, but I actually, I don't wanna be, I wanna quit my hospital job. Great. That's a fantastic goal, but let's start being specific with what your reality is right now. I. Focus on that, get there, and then you can move to the next stage. Depend, and hopefully you'll get there quickly and then you can set your next goal is, all right, I've got this base and now I have room in my schedule to quit my hospital job and add X number of consults in a month. So, so your specific goal is I wanna get 15 consults. So Leah, you said the next thing in smart is measurable. So how would that apply to this new lc with the goal of booking 15 consults a month consistently?

Leah: Well, it's right there. It's a number, and that's what's really helpful. We've got the number 15, so we know we've gotta break that out over the month. And so then you would look at, okay, in a week, you know, I might need to do three to four visits a week to be able to make it to that goal. In a month, so then you can break it down even more and to know on a weekly basis, this is how many consults I'm gonna need to work towards.

Annie: Yeah. And also looking at like, how are you, over what time period are you measuring this? So are you gonna measure it by the month? But also like. You could also say, well, it's more helpful to look at it over three months 'cause what's my average? Because you could have a slow month and a and a not so slow month and overall it's gonna work together. And you might, and you might find that that is more helpful than looking at, you know, what happened this month. You know, just like we tell our families, it's rarely about. What the scale said this time, and it's always about putting that weight into the context of the bigger picture. So looking at like breaking it down, being really granular with, okay, to meet my goal, I need to get an average of this many visits a week. But also to meet my goal, I have to take a bigger picture view and see how it's, how it's spanning time.

Leah: Yeah, and like thinking, okay, well that's not gonna happen in a month. You know, if you have no business, you're not gonna jump to your goal for most people in a month's time. So knowing that there will be some building and, and like, over this time period, this is my end goal, so that you can kind of track your progress in that direction and know, okay, I'm making steps in that way. And then. I think we kind of addressed the attainable part because if you are saying, I wanna grow my business, and then you say, I'm gonna do, you know, 20 consults a week, and you have all this other stuff on your plate, I mean, that's completely unrealistic and not really attainable in the early stages of building your business. And this kind of flows right into the next thought where. We want it to be realistic. So again, you can't have a big goal that is completely unrealistic with your lifestyle or your community. You know, we wanna make sure that it's something that is attainable and realistic that you're not thinking. I. Too, too big or too too small that it's not going to be something that's going to really work for you and for your end.

Annie: Bigger picture goals, right? Like if you're saying, okay, my goal is I'm gonna do 15 consults a month, but I need to do all of them. In three days. So that means I actually have to do five a day 'cause I only have these three days. And then you'll quickly realize that there isn't really enough hours in the day for you to do five consults in one day. Or if you do, you're gonna be exhausted at the end of it and, and you're not gonna be necessarily providing clients with the, the best possible care, more if you're more experienced and you know, really understanding. Along client relationships. Some, some people are able to do that many consults in a day. And I'm really speaking about home visits. Like you can't physically get to five people's houses in one day. That would be really hard. Even it in an office setting, it can get really exhausting. And so, you know, by realistic thinking about. You know, am I, am I aiming too high? Am I, am I putting too much pressure on myself or on this situation beyond what it can bear? So that, you know, this really involves, you know, the, the concept of being realistic involves taking a look at what makes sense, what's practical, what's sustainable in the long term, and attainable looking. Is looking at like, what can your schedule bear and what can your community bear? So if you're living in a rural setting, you know, you may not, there may not be enough births per year in your community to sustain a really high client target, and you may have to have completely different goal kinds of goals. So knowing what's possible and also what you can handle is really important. And then finally, we have the time-based goals. So how do you really, how do you interpret that idea of time-based goals? Leah?

Leah: Well, like we were saying, kind of setting out at what point do you want to achieve this goal? You know, like we said, this isn't gonna happen in a week of you just putting it out in the universe. Is this now gonna be a reality? There's time to it and you know, it might be that you're working towards this 15 clients a month. You're gonna give yourself three months to get there. Because another piece of this, and, and what I really wanted to drive home was we start here with this 15 clients a month. Right? But that's not where you can stop, because where are they coming from? How'd they find you? How, how did you get 15 clients a month? Right? Then you have to break it down again, and you gotta say, well, where are these clients gonna come from? Are they going to come from, you know, referrals from people in my community? Are they gonna come from my website and or are they gonna come from social media? And so once you decide that, okay, now you're saying I'm gonna try to get, you know, five clients a month from referral sources, I'm going to drive clients to. You know, traffic to my website and I'm gonna try to get some, you know, maybe five clients a month that are direct booking from my website and I'm gonna get five clients a month that are found me on social media Now, we can't control that, you know, but it's kind of just put in your headspace, like these are the areas of focus. To get to that end goal, and then you break those down again. Well, what is it gonna take for me to get those five referrals? Well, I'm gonna need to start reaching out to people in my community. So then you set a goal based on that. Okay, I'm gonna make five calls a week, two people in my community, and try to set up. Now in Pandemic Dimes, a virtual meetup with them to introduce myself and tell them about my business on the website side. Okay, I'm gonna break this down. I'm gonna spend one hour a week. Working on my SEO and writing a blog once a week so I can drive track it to my website. Okay. Let me break down my social media. I'm gonna post three posts a week, and one of them's going to be my blog posts, you know, and like really breaking it down and honing in more and more narrow so that you have actionable steps down to a day to day.

Annie: And I love that. And it's really, you have to. You do have to put the time in to create these systems, and it's really just because I, I read it this week and I'm, it kind of blew my mind, but like she talks about in the Four Tendencies that by identifying your tendency, it's really about what motivates you or what helps you get things done. So setting that up. So someone who is a questioner, they really wanna have that strong internal motivation. So you might really need to do a lot of research, Leah, before you decide something is worth doing. A hundred percent. I am ever so glad that you do because you're really great at being like Annie, that is not a good idea. And I'm like, oh good. Oh good. I could tell myself I don't have to do it now. I feel so relieved. 'cause I, I had the idea, I was set myself up to it to be up until midnight tonight, making sure I did that right. Just make sure I get it all done. And then if you're an obliger, so that's somebody that, that really likes to help other people finding some external source of accountability and to say, you know, maybe that means you have somebody like a business bestie or your, you know, your partner or your friend or your mom, and just say, I'm, I want you to hold me accountable to this. I, I want you to check in on me. 'cause if I, 'cause if I know that somebody else cares about what I'm doing and is gonna ask me questions about it, I'm more likely to do it.

Leah: Oh, I was gonna say a point about that, that I think is really important when you are an obliger is to give yourself, uh, because I think obliger is like my second because like she said, you can have like a dominant tendency and then like I think obliger is my second and like say, okay, you're gonna be my accountability person and on Friday you are gonna text me and say, can you, did you do these things? And I think that helps so much if you have it like a defined time. If you're an obliger. That's a thing.

Annie: It's true. I think, I mean, that's really helpful for just making sure that you set yourself up for success. I think the fourth tendency is the rebel, and she was like she said, for that one, it's about thinking of. Benefits and consequences. So really like getting clear with yourself, what, what good things are gonna come into my life if I pursue this goal? What negative things might happen if I decide not to pursue this goal goal if I don't work towards it? And you know, what I, I, I really like about this, this matrix is that I feel like all of those things are helpful to consider, you know, coming up with no matter what your dominant tendency is, but having external accountability. Internal motivation. People that can talk you down when you're going a little too far. And also understanding benefits and consequences and having that and like putting it out there and whether you're, it's writing it in a journal or talking about it with somebody else, or just having it in your mind because you know you really want to feel certain and have that sense of this is important and this matters, and I'm gonna make it a priority because it's, it's my life and Yeah. And you deserve my business to want things from your life. Yes.

Leah: Yes. And it's so interesting how, I mean, I just feel like we don't hear as much about business related goals and people talking about this, and it's always, you know. So much personal goals, like health goals or financial goals that people have. And I love this shift of focus and just remembering as entrepreneurs how much this can really benefit. And also, you know, like for you Annie, like help us have some parameters on our workload. You know, when you define it all out as an obliger, I know that it could just, like, you could work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you know, because you can be so driven in that way, but. You know, having these parameters both for motivation, but also for boundaries, these business related goals can really help with that. So I am so excited that we got to have this talk today. I'm so motivated now. I'm gonna go do all the things and research them first. Uh, but um, and then next time, so you guys have to stay tuned because next time we're actually gonna talk a little bit more about like how we're going to really attain these business related goals and what does that look like in real time. So I'm excited to. Kinda keep this conversation going. Keep my motivation up. So it was great talking with you today, Annie,

Annie: and it was great talking with you too. And I do feel also inspired to just keep my mind on my goals, on my current goals and not come up with any new goals right now because we got plenty lot. I got too many lots.

Leah: We got a bucket full right now. Bucket full. But that's good stuff for you guys in the future is coming. And this is also just, just wonderful clarity and motivation. So it'll be great to see you next time so we can talk more about it.

Annie: For sure. Talk to you soon. Bye Leah.

Leah: Bye.